Okay, look, maybe Britney Spears is a bad mom. But after this week, the furor over her parenting skills has reached ridiculous proportions. Calm down, people!

Admittedly, her latest Sean Preston slip-up didn't look too good. America's most-scrutinized mommy was caught on film leaving the Ritz-Carlton Hotel in New York City with her 8-month-old in one hand and a glass of water in the other. Then, under the ever-present glare of the paparazzi's cameras, she stumbled, causing baby Sean's head to fly back and his orange cap to fall off. Britney managed to hold on the baby, who looked briefly alarmed but was evidently unharmed.

This, of course, made world headlines. Even Forbes.com ran the story. What Britney's baby-handling skills have to do with the world of high-finance is anyone's guess, but there it was, right off the Associated Press wire.

This comes on the heels of another shocker earlier this week, reported by ABC News among others. Britney was caught on film again, this time driving in her Mini Cooper convertible with Sean Preston strapped into his baby seat in the back. The problem? Sean's baby seat was facing forward -- federal guidelines recommend that babies weighing less than 20 pounds ride in car seats that face the rear.

ABC News used this latest Britney baby scandal as a springboard to a whole story about how most parents can't figure out to install car seats properly in the first place, with at least one expert citing evidence that as many as 80% of parents have their babies riding in unsafe car sets. Then they went ahead and let a rank-and-file reporter named Juju Chang -- whose only credentials include, apparently, being a mom herself -- slam Britney anyway.

Two minor details that have gone underreported in all of this: First, Britney was allegedly heard to say outside the Ritz-Carlton, before getting into her car, "This is why I need a gun." Second, she was later seen in a nearby restaurant, breaking down in tears.

See why we're telling everyone to calm down? Being a mom is hard enough without your every move being put under a microscope. We never thought we'd say this, but c'mon, people: Give Britney a break.

--The ARTISTdirect Staff
05.19.06